HRDs expect 75% of staff to become gig workers

The research, from professional services firm Aon, was created to examine the gig economy. The company interviewed a total of 500 HRDs and gig works from across Europe.

Of European HRDs, 26 percent believe their workforces will have between 51 and 75 percent of gig workers in five years’ time.

However, 54 percent of gig workers interviewed said they are worried about their financial future. They also said they would feel more positive towards their organisation if benefits were in place - only 31 percent are currently offered benefits within their contract.

This was reflected in the interviews with nearly all HRDs. They believed that providing health and benefits packages would improve gig worker recruitment (94 percent), engagement (93 percent), productivity (88 percent) and retention (95 percent).

The report also found that gig working is not a “temporary solution”, nearly 50 percent of all gig workers have been so for three years or more, suggesting an active career choice.

Following the study, Aon created a report including details as to why it’s necessary businesses prepare for changes. These include:

• Regulation is likely to become stronger because of gig working’s increasingly transactional nature. Vocal champions of workers’ rights from within governments, unions and from workers themselves are shining an increasingly intense light on HR practices.
• Competition for highly technical and specialised talent is outstripping supply, particularly impacting SMEs that may not be able to offer top salaries or lucrative stock options.
• Organisations may have knowledge gaps about an increasingly large part of their workforce. Having a clear understanding of people working for them helps drive performance outcomes and solve critical business challenges.

Find the research and full report here.